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The Sledgehammer State and Vaccines

This post is not about anti-vaxxers. It is about state coercion versus persuasion. HB 3063, a dramatically coercive immunization bill, passed the Oregon House this week, and may well be voted on in the Senate soon. It would make Oregon one of the most coercive immunization states in the country. Opponents to the bill are well-organized and vocal. They are not anti-vaxxers, but raise a number of serious concerns.

The number of measles cases in Oregon has remained mostly constant for years

Oregon has one of the higher vaccination rates in the country.

3063 mandates many vaccines, not just measles

3063 mandates multiple same disease vaccinations for some students this summer, increasing risk of adverse health and reducing the effectiveness of the vaccine

Companies that sell the vaccines have been shielded from lawsuits by federal law

And consider the issue of trust. A radically irresponsible media
and entrenched deep state has reduced Americans trust of so-called authorities.

Immunization rules are about complicated issues, balancing individual
liberty and community safety. The problem with 3063 is that it takes a sledgehammer
approach to a sensitive issue. But that’s the big problem with statists – they would
rather use coercion than persuasion. Why not gut 3063 and instead stuff it with
a mandate to study effective ways to increase immunization rates that rely on persuasion
rather than coercion? Why not? It’s not the progressive way. We need to vote
them out. More liberals are actually coming to the same conclusion. After all, “liberal”
means something that liberates, bringing freedom. That is the opposite of the jackbooted
folks in Salem swinging sledgehammers.

“When
the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, people
hide themselves.” Prov. 28:12